Pansy's Story
by Melissa Ceris
Summary: It's about three or four years after the gang leave Hogwarts. After a long day's work, Harry walks into a new night club in town-The Devil's Lounge. There he meets someone unexpected, who has her own story to tell.
1. The Encounter

~ Pansy's Story ~

~ Pansy's Story ~

Disclaimer: All characters belong to J.K. Rowling. Spike, Dru, and Darla belong to the creator of _Buffy the Vampire Slayer._

Author's Note: This story takes place about three or four years after Harry and the gang leave Hogwarts. Based on the song, What Would You Do, by City High. It's not a songfic though. And I know that people have probably done this already, but mine isn't a copy. It's an idea I had while listening to the song on Z100.

Chapter One: The Encounter 

Harry Potter walked through the streets of the London Underground, trying to find a nice place to relax after a long day of hard work. He had been an auror for about two years now, and enjoyed the concept of living dangerously. The Dark Lord Voldemort was long gone, but Harry had been facing even more dangers and evil in the wizarding world ever since he had gotten rid of Voldemort. 

Harry passed by the Leaky Cauldron, which was a very famous pub in the wizarding world. He didn't feel like going in, as it was mostly a place for middle aged wizards to get together and talk of matters that Harry, at his age, still didn't understand. Sighing, Harry started down a narrow path that he hadn't taken before, and headed toward a new development complete with loads of flashing lights and loud music.

He arrived at a small night club behind the Leaky Cauldron called the _Devil's Lounge._ Harry recalled the name, as it was known to be the new hangout of many young wizards. Deciding that there was no harm in trying out new places, he opened the Lounge's glass door and walked in.

Sure enough, the club was packed with all sorts of young wizards and witches. Harry squeezed himself inside and immediately found himself face to face with a couple of strippers dancing among a large group of young wizards. Harry shook his head. Those girls couldn't be more than eighteen or nineteen years old. Exactly why they wanted to throw away their lives like that he didn't know. He noticed one particular stripper wearing a short leather skirt and a feather boa who looked strangely familiar. Then it hit him.

" _Pansy_?" 

The stripper with the leather skirt glanced over at him, apparently startled that he knew her name, but then her mouth dropped open as she got a closer look at him.

" Potter? Is that you?" she said incredulously. Then her face hardened as she finally came to her senses. " What the hell are you doing here? I would think a good boy like you would rather die than set foot in a place like this. " 

Harry's face grew red as she said this, because the group of wizards that were watching the strippers all turned around and stared at him, their faces distraught in surprise.

" Potter? _The_ Harry Potter? " Now everyone in the club was staring at Harry, all with the same disbelieving expressions written on their faces. Even the music, which had been pounding on and off the walls just a moment ago, had ceased.

" Er--yeah, " Harry answered weakly. " Yeah, I'm Harry Potter. " 

There was a sudden clamor of chairs and glasses as people rushed from left and right to try and get a closer look at him. Harry felt himself turning red as he looked helplessly over at Pansy, who stood with her arms folded, her face unsmiling.

" Harry! How ya been, old man?" 

" Over here, Harry! I'll buy you a drink!"

" Hey, Harry! What brings you here?"

" Is it true you defeated You-Know-Who with a single glare?"

" Hey, turn the music up! Harry, what song do you wanna hear?" 

And it went on like this for another ten minutes, before Harry could get himself away from the endless crowd of crazed and adoring fans, all waiting to be able to have a chance to talk with him. Harry walked over to where Pansy stood alone, next to the stage. He smiled and held a hand out to her. She didn't take it.

" Hey, come on, Pansy. Let's put our past grudges behind us and just have some fun. Can I buy you a drink?" Harry asked cheerfully. Pansy looked at him suspiciously, as though he might just be trying to play wit her feelings. After all that she had been through, Pansy didn't know if she could ever trust another man again.

" What, are you talking to me? " she asked, a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

Harry nodded, still smiling.

" Well--yeah. Who else would I be talking to? The wall? " He grinned.

" Ha, ha, ha," Pansy replied, very sarcastically. " You sure know how to make a girl laugh, Potter. " 

Harry shook his head. " Pansy, come on. It's not like we're still kids at Hogwarts, rivaling about every little thing. Can't we just forget the past and move on?" 

Pansy stared at him for moment, not saying anything. Years before, she would have sneered at him and walked away, but now--something had changed. Potter looked almost…sincere in his words. But how could he? After all that she, Draco, and the others had done to him? It just didn't make sense.

" How do I know that you're not just pulling my leg? We're worst enemies, Potter. Not friends. So why are you being so nice to me?" Pansy demanded. Her eyes had their old glare in them; the one Harry had been so used to back at Hogwarts. He smiled and placed his hand on top of hers.

" Because I want to help you. " 


	2. Confession

~ Pansy's Story ~

~ Pansy's Story ~

Disclaimer: All characters belong to J.K. Rowling. Spike, Dru, and Darla belong to the creator of _Buffy the Vampire Slayer._

Chapter Two: Confession

Pansy stared at Harry in disbelief.

" You _what_? _Help_ me? I don't need your help, Potter! " She yelled, causing people to turn and look over at the pair of them. Pansy ignored them. She glared at Harry accusingly and slapped his hand away.

" Pansy, please, listen to me," Harry pleaded, his green eyes shining with anticipation. " I want to help you because I know that there's a reason why you're working in this place. You're a witch with talents, Pansy! So why the hell are you wasting them away by working as a _stripper_?" 

" What's wrong with being a stripper?" Pansy demanded. " Look, I know that it isn't the best job around, but it pays good. Trust me on this one Potter; I know what I'm doing. And nobody, especially not you, is going to stop me! "

And without another word, Pansy got up out of her seat and stalked off. Harry followed her, and before she could leave from the back doors, he grabbed her arm.

" Let go, Potter! I could sue you for this!" Pansy cried, trying to pry Harry's hand off of her arm. But he held a tight grip.

" Come on, let's go outside and take a walk, " he said gently, loosening his grip on Pansy. " I know something's going on with you, and I'm not going to leave until you tell me." 

~ * ~

" I really can't get rid of you, can I?" said Pansy ten minutes later, as she and Harry walked past a Muggle music store. Harry grinned mischievously, his eyes twinkling. 

" I told you, I'm not leaving until you tell me why you're working in the Devil's Lounge," he said. 

Pansy turned around and looked Harry straight in the eye.

" If I tell you, do you promise to keep it a secret?" she asked.

Harry nodded. " I promise."

" What would you do if your son is at home, crying all alone on the bedroom floor because he hasn't had anything to eat for two days? And the only way to feed him is to sleep with a man for a little bit of money?" Asked Pansy, her voice hard.

Harry was speechless for a moment.

" You…have a son?"

Pansy nodded. " Yes. And thanks to somebody, he's starving and alone most of the time. " Her face hardened as she glanced over at the Leaky Cauldron. 

Harry touched her gently on the shoulder.

" Pansy, is that somebody the father of your son?" 

Pansy looked back at Harry and nodded slowly, her eyes full of a sadness Harry had never seen before. 

" And--who _is_ the father?" 

" Draco. Draco Malfoy."

For a moment, Harry didn't say anything. He just stared at Pansy, who looked expectantly back at him. Finally, he was starting to understand what had happened.

" Malfoy…left you?"

Pansy nodded again. Harry turned away.

" I'm sorry, " he said softly. " I should have known he would do something like that."

Pansy's eyes grew wide, and she shook her head vigorously. 

" No! I mean, you don't understand--Draco loved me! He truly did! But--" she broke off, her voice breaking. 

Harry stared at her, his eyes puzzled.

" But what? Listen, Pansy, how can you still stick up for him after what he's done to you?" 

" No, _you_ listen to me. It isn't like what you may think. Just shut up and listen to me, Potter. I'll tell you the story. The _whole_ story. 

Author's Note: I know this story really sucks, but it's NOT finished yet! There's still another chapter, and then you'll find out the WHOLE story. Sorry for the annoying caps--and thanks to my two reviewers, love ya lots. Oh, and I'm sorry about the chapter thing, I know it's messed up how I ended it so abruptly. I'll try not to do it again. J


	3. Pansy's Story...Revealed

~ Pansy's Story ~

~ Pansy's Story ~

Disclaimer: All characters belong to J.K. Spike, Dru ,and Darla belong to the creator of_ Buffy the Vampire Slayer_.

Chapter Three: Pansy's Story…Revealed

Harry looked expectantly at Pansy. 

" Ok, ok, I'll listen. Will you tell now?"

Pansy took a deep breath and began to tell her story.

" It all began on Christmas Eve in our seventh year at Hogwarts…

" Draco and I had always given everyone the impression that we were a couple. But the truth was, until that night, we hadn't even so much as kissed.

" At first, I was reluctant to do anything with him, but Draco kept pushing. He kept saying things like," Oh come on, Pansy, just_ try _it," or

" Stop worrying, nothing's going to happen the first time," and all that other reassuring crap. But I wasn't so sure. I mean, we were only seventeen, and doing stuff like that seemed like something to wait until after we were married. Of course, Draco wouldn't take no for an answer. He was a very persistent boy--and he hasn't changed. And well, it _was_ a cold night…" Pansy's voice trailed off for a second, as if deeplyregretting what she had done.

Harry placed a hand sympathetically on Pansy's shoulder.

" It's ok, Pansy. We all make mistakes."

Pansy angrily shook Harry's hand away.

" How would you know?" She cried angrily. " You never knew what it was like, living my life! I've been through more than _you_ could ever relate to! How dare you try and say something like that to _me_?"

Pansy turned away from Harry, and he was startled to see that her face was in tears.

" Hey, " he said softly, " It's ok. I understand more than you think, you know."

Pansy looked back at Harry, her face shining with tears.

" How could _you_, the famous Harry Potter, hero who defeated the Dark Lord countless times, possibly understand what I've been through?" 

" I had a hard life too, you know," Harry reminded her. " So believe me, I really _do_ understand."

For a single moment, neither of them said anything. Then Pansy wiped away her tears with her hand and cleared her throat.

" So--um, anyways, back to the story," she said quickly.

Harry grinned. 

" I was wondering when you would remember. "

Pansy gave him a _look._

" Do you want to hear this or not, Potter?"

" Ok, ok, I'm sorry, " Harry said, holding his hands up in apology. Go ahead."

" After our big night, Draco came up to me the next day and 

surprised me by telling me that after we graduated from Hogwarts, he would ask me to marry him. I should have known it was all going way too fast. After all, it had only been one night, and now the boy was asking me to _marry_ him? Unfortunately, I wasn't thinking about that at the time. All I remember is me throwing my arms around Draco and squealing like an idiot. I didn't know that all I was really getting myself into was trouble. 

" The Malfoys and my family go way back. In fact, Draco and I had practically grown up together. Our parents, especially our mothers, would always talk about if the two of us would ever make a match of it. But in those days, I had no intention of marrying Draco. He was pale, snotty, and arrogant--even then! But then again, I had no idea exactly what Lucius Malfoy had in store for his son…"

Pansy paused for a moment, and looked up at the night sky, which was filled thousands of twinkling stars. Harry looked confused.

" What is it, Pansy?" 

" The stars--look." She pointed to a particular cluster of stars. Harry followed her gaze.

" Yeah? What about them?"

" That's Orion."

" I know. We learned about constellations in Astronomy, remember?"

" Yeah, but--"

" But what?"

" Never mind."

Harry stared at Pansy. What did she mean? But whatever it was, Harry didn't find out. 

" Lucius Malfoy was a very proud man. He was especially proud of Draco, who he believed would uphold the Malfoy family traditions. One of them was to marry a pureblood. Everyone, even Narcissa, Draco's mother, expected that I would be Draco's future wife. Unfortunately, Lucius Malfoy had his own plans for his son. Draco was to marry a Zabini."

Harry gasped.

" Zabini? As in Blaise Zabini?" 

Pansy nodded.

" Exactly. The Zabinis were a very distinguished wizarding family, you know. And Lucius Malfoy wanted the best for his precious son. There was only one problem with that. You see, everyone all thought that Lucius wanted Draco to marry me, like they did. But apparently, I wasn't good enough for Lucius Malfoy's taste. Narcissa, on the other hand, wanted me as her future daughter--in--law. So did my parents. Of course, Narcissa's word against Malfoy's was like Longbottom's against the king's. 

And when Lucius Malfoy made up his mind about something, there was no changing it.

" Not long after, my parents found out about Lucius's little scheme, and that was when conflict arose. My father and mother had longed to see me walk down the aisle with the boy that they treated like their own son. But no matter what my parents and Narcissa did or said, it was no use. Lucius would not budge, and it was pointless to try and move him. 

My father said that if I really loved Draco, then he would support me every step of the way. As long as we didn't elope. Eloping was considered a sin among the wizarding families of the upper class society. 

" But did we listen? Of course not. When Draco found out about his arranged marriage, he went into a true Malfoy tantrum. That was when he asked me to run away with him. I guess that no matter how much he respected his father, Draco wasn't going to listen to him. But I remembered my father's words: _if you really love the boy, I'll support you every step of the way. But you have to promise me one thing. Promise me you'll never elope with him…_

" Did I listen to my father in the end? No, I didn't. I decided respect from Draco was more important than from my own flesh and blood. But I didn't realize that agreeing to elope with Draco was the biggest mistake I would ever make. After our secret marriage, Draco and I brought a small apartment in Hogsmeade--and planned to settle down there. Draco had already begun to work in his father's business, so he had quite a bit of money. The both of us decided to use the money for our personal needs until we could find new jobs. However, something unexpected happened that would destroy all of our plans. I became pregnant.

" At first, Draco and I were very excited. We were going to be parents! I was going to be a mother! But at eighteen years old, I didn't realize the consequences of being pregnant. Neither did Draco. In fact,think he was even more excited about the baby than I was. He even picked out a name for the baby if it was a boy--Orion."

Harry gasped. 

" Orion! The constellation! " 

" That's right, " Pansy smiled a little. " Orion. My son." 

Harry watched as Pansy reached into her dragon--hide handbag and pulled out a small moving photograph. She handed it to Harry, who took it, his hands shaking. The photo showed a baby boy, who couldn't be older than two, smiling brightly with his pearly white teeth showing. Harry noticed that he had Draco's blond hair and Pansy's piercing brown eyes. 

" He's adorable," Harry said, smiling. 

" He's our little star, " Pansy said dreamily. " _My_ little star." 

As he heard these words, Harry couldn't help but feel a bitter sadness come over him. He wondered, what was going to happen next? What other secrets was Pansy hiding? But before he could say anything, Pansy had begun to speak again.

" About two months after Draco and I eloped, our parents found out. They were furious. Lucius Malfoy threw a fit, and he demanded that Draco divorce me and marry Blaise like he was supposed to--or else suffer the consequences. Draco refused, and he told me he would always be there for me no matter what his father said or did. Secretly, I wasn't so sure. I mean, I wanted to believe that Draco would love me enough to keep his promise, but my conscience was saying just to surrender and face the consequences instead of running away from them. But deep in the back of my mind, I was afraid. Afraid to face my father. I could just see his disappointed face when he found out the truth. That I had gone against his wishes and eloped. That I had betrayed his trust. I couldn't bear to live that kind of guilt, Potter! I just couldn't. So I didn't go back.

" Then the _real_ trouble began. In his anger, Lucius declared that as long as Draco stayed with me, he would not get his share of the Malfoy fortune. Draco said he didn't care about the money. That was a big mistake. 

" I think it was because of all the pressure he was under, that caused Draco to start gambling. At first, it was only a one night thing--Draco would go out with some friends and gamble in the Three Broomsticks.Then it grew to be every night--almost like an addiction. The money that we once were rolling in had slowly begun to diminish. Then the drinking began. He would go out around dinnertime and not return until early the next day. And he was always drunk. At that time I was already five months pregnant, and there was still the chance that the baby would come earlier. I begged Draco to stop drinking, to stop gambling, for the sake of our baby. But it was too late. Draco was hooked, and there was no stopping him. 

" By now, our money was running dangerously low, and things had worsened. Draco had found a new group of friends--a rowdy group of vampires whose names were Spike, Dru ,and Darla. I never liked them much--and I think they were the ones that got Draco to start smoking. He would come home, drunk as pig, and I would have to carry him up the stairs all by myself. I was eight months pregnant! But that didn't stop Draco from what he was doing. Our money was in a large case under our bed--Draco didn't want our money in Gringotts--I know now it was because he was secretly stealing money to gamble, buy drinks, and pot. 

" I was so angry with his ignorance about our baby that I locked up our money case and hid it while Draco was out one night. When he came home early the next morning, the baby came.

" Orion. Our baby boy. I couldn't remember the last time I had been so happy. For a short while, I even forgot about our money troubles and Draco's addiction. But my life was brought back to earth with an unpleasant bump when Draco found out that I had hidden the money. I had never seen him so angry. He nearly broke everything in the house. I was seriously afraid--for my life and the baby's. So I told Draco off for getting himself into so much trouble. He screamed and threw a lamp at me. That was the last straw. I grabbed the money case from its hiding place, threw it out the window, and told Draco to leave and never show his face in the house again. Draco laughed manically and asked me if I really meant it. But he didn't wait for my answer. He just grabbed his cloak and wand, and left without another word. And he hasn't come back since."

Harry stared at Pansy, speechless. 

" That's it?" he sputtered." He--he just left? Like that?"

Pansy nodded and sighed.

" Yep. But I wouldn't be too hard on him, he had a problem."

Harry couldn't believe what he was hearing.

" But he left you! Just when you were most in need of his support! That bastard! " he snarled angrily, banging his fist against the brick wall. 

Pansy smiled and placed a hand on Harry's shoulder.

" Hey. Don't worry about it, what's done is done, there's no use worrying about it. Besides--" she added, " it was partly my fault. I shouldn't have lost my temper and told Draco to leave. It was pretty stupid of me."

" No, Pansy. It wasn't stupid of you. You were just doing the right thing. Malfoy doesn't deserve you," Harry insisted. 

" Well, at least now you know the reason why I've been working as a stripper. It pays good, and you know I need money," Pansy said.

Harry didn't say anything. Instead, he reached into the pocket of his robes and pulled out a large bag of coins.

" Here," he said, handing them to Pansy," take this."

Pansy looked shocked.

" No! I can't take your money--" she broke off, seeing the look on Harry's face.

" Take it. For Orion," he said firmly. 

Pansy smiled. Then she did something she would never have done back at Hogwarts. She kissed Harry on the cheek, much to his surprise. 

" Thanks, Potter, I owe you one."

Harry's face broke into a smile. 

" No problem. Oh, and one more thing."

" What?"

" Call me Harry."

Pansy's smile grew wider. 

" Thanks--_Harry_." 

" Well, I guess you'd better go now--Orion's waiting," Harry reminded her. Pansy checked her watch and nodded.

" You're right--I'd better go. Take care of yourself, Harry. I'll see you around?" She looked hopefully at him.

Harry laughed.

" Definitely. Try tomorrow. Being an auror is hard work, Pansy. But I'm glad I am one, because if I wasn't, I wouldn't have met you."

Pansy watched Harry leave, and she felt her spirits rise for the first time in months. Harry Potter--he was all right, really. At last, the long rivalry between Gryffindor and Slytherin was over. Or at least, in this case. 

~ * ~

A/N: So, what do you think? Was it bad? Good? Horrible? Please let me know by r/r! Thanks a lot! 

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